April 2012: On the Drawing Board

High school renovations will be LAUSD’s first design-build project

A design-build team led by Pinner Construction Co. of Anaheim, Calif., and the Pasadena, Calif., office of architecture firm gkkworks has received approval from California’s Division of the State Architect to proceed with the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Dorsey High School redevelopment project. The first design-build project in the LAUSD’s history, the renovations call for the demolition of existing buildings and the construction of a two-story, 28,000-sf classroom building and 22,000-sf gymnasium. All new components will be constructed to achieve LEED-NC Silver certification.

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$7.5 million expansion planned for Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences

The Orlando, Fla., office of VOA Associates has been selected as the design architect for a $7.5 million expansion of the Daytona Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Fla. An existing wing, which is 30 inches below the main structure, will be demolished and a replacement wing will be built at the same grade as the museum complex, reducing the threat of flooding. The plan calls for 24,000 sf of new space for galleries, exhibits, and support, as well as a new kitchen, volunteer room, information and ticketing areas, planetarium, and central Great Hall.

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Elementary school in Falls Church, Va., aims for sustainability with addition

SHW Group and HESS Construction + Engineering Services have been selected to design and construct a three-story, 23,000-sf addition to Thomas Jefferson Elementary School in Falls Church, Va. The $5 million project will provide space for classrooms, a cafeteria, teacher planning offices, and parking. Sustainable features: a cool roof, high-recycled content construction components, a waste management construction plan, and regionally sourced materials. Construction is scheduled to begin in June.

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Genomic Medicine facility finds home on Farmington, Conn., campus

The Jackson Laboratory’s facility for its new genomic medicine institute in Farmington, Conn., will be built on a 17-acre site on the University of Connecticut’s Health Center campus. Construction for the 173,000-sf facility is scheduled to begin in 2013; the institute will lease space in the interim. Upon completion, the facility will house 300 biomedical researchers, technicians, and support staff in computing facilities and laboratories. Tsoi/Kobus & Associates of Cambridge, Mass., and Connecticut-based Centerbrook Architects will plan and design the facility, and Gilbane Building Co.’s Glastonbury, Conn., office will manage the construction.

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New pavilion at Franklin Institute will combine traditional with the new

The Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion is planned for the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. Made possible by a $10 million contribution from the couple for whom it was named, the 53,000-sf renovation and expansion will provide an education and conference center, permanent exhibition space, and a changing gallery. The building’s exterior will pay homage to the style of the original building while incorporating more modern features, such as landscaping to mitigate stormwater impact and a stainless steel kinetic art wall. Designed by SaylorGregg Architects of Philadelphia, the addition will be constructed by Skanska. A summer 2014 opening is anticipated.

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North Florida Regional Medical Center to get new patient tower, renovations

Led by construction manager Charles Perry Partners, North Florida Regional Medical Center’s $32 million patient tower and cardiology renovation project in Gainesville, Fla., is slated for completion in June 2013. Designed by Earl Swensson Associates of Nashville, Tenn., the four-story, 116,380-sf patient tower will have 92 beds and a Level II neonatal intensive care unit. Renovations are also planned to 25,106 sf of space on the cardiology department’s first floor and a new catheterization lab. Several units—noninvasive cardiology, medical records, and nuclear medicine—will be relocated. BD+C